Month: August 2011

  • Nation & World

    A portrait of change

    Preston Williams was honored with a new portrait in Andover Hall. The picture of Williams, the Houghton Research Professor of Theology and Contemporary Change Emeritus, is part of the Harvard Foundation Portraiture Project.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    University leaders welcome freshmen

    Harvard’s annual convocation ceremony gives members of the Class of 2015 their first taste of the University’s history and traditions.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    It’s morning in a new year

    Harvard President Drew Faust spoke at the first Morning Prayers service, encouraging listeners to consider the past as a “valuable resource” for contemplating the future.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    First lizard genome sequenced


    The green anole lizard is an agile and active creature, and so are elements of its genome. This genomic agility and other new clues have emerged from the full sequencing of the lizard’s genome and may offer insights into how the genomes of humans, mammals, and their reptilian counterparts have evolved since mammals and reptiles…

    8 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Remembering 9/11

    Harvard plans services, vigils, panels to draw meaning from 10th anniversary of 9/11 tragedy.

    8 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Library seeking proposals for Library Lab

    The Harvard University Library is soliciting proposals for projects to improve the library via the Library Lab program.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    They Ride by Dawn

    They are an eclectic group of Harvard students, staff, faculty, and community members. They range in age from their late teens to 50-something. They can be freshmen or CEOs, but they move fast, and under their own power. They ride by bike.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Connecting with freshmen

    Harvard College freshmen got their first taste Aug. 26 of the world of ideas awaiting them over the next four years in a talk by Professor Nicholas Christakis, who delivered the 2011 Opening Days Lecture, “Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives.”

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Creative opportunity

    The tradition of visiting faculty at Harvard’s Department of Visual and Environmental Studies brings art and insight to the classroom.

    7 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Tropical Storm Irene

    Harvard University officials responded to reports of downed utility lines and broken branches, but received no reports of injuries or serious damage as Tropical Storm Irene passed through the region.…

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Hurricane Irene situation report

    Update on the Hurricane Irene situation.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Brain navigation

    Hanspeter Pfister, an expert in high-performance computing and visualization, is part of an interdisciplinary team collaborating on the Connectome Project at the Center for Brain Science. The project aims to create a wiring diagram of all the neurons in the brain.

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    From skin cells to motor neurons

    Harvard stem cell researchers have succeeded in reprogramming adult mouse skin cells directly into the type of motor neurons damaged in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, best known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and spinal muscular atrophy.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Hammonds greets Class of 2015

    Harvard College Dean Evelynn M. Hammonds welcomed members of the Class of 2015 to campus during a session at Sanders Theatre.

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Tax on sugary drinks?

    The global obesity epidemic has been escalating for decades, yet long-term prevention efforts have barely begun and are inadequate, according to a new paper from international public health experts published in the Aug. 25 issue of the journal The Lancet.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Harvard battles MIT in consulting competition

    Harvard hosted the third annual MIT vs. Harvard Case Competition.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Harvard’s Mobile Yard Tour app

    Harvard University is commemorating its 375th anniversary this year with a special gift — a mobile tour of Harvard Yard for visitors, neighbors, and members of the Harvard community.

    2 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Attacking Ebola

    Two Harvard-led research teams report identifying a critical protein that Ebola virus exploits to cause deadly infections. The protein target is an essential element through which the virus enters living cells to cause disease.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    The efficient caveman cook

    Harvard researchers say the rise of cooking likely occurred more than 1.9 million years ago and bestowed on human ancestors a gift of time in the form of hours each day not spent eating.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Detecting heart-valve infection

    A novel imaging probe developed by a Harvard-led team of investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital may make it possible to diagnose accurately a dangerous infection of the heart valves.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    True cost of medical malpractice

    The debates over health care reform may soon become more informed. A new study undertaken by a group of researchers, including Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Professor Amitabh Chandra, provides a detailed snapshot of U.S. medical malpractice claims, awards, and frequency by specialty.

    2 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Cancer stem cells made, not born

    In cancer, tumors aren’t uniform: they are more like complex societies, each with a unique balance of cancer cell types playing different roles. Understanding this “social structure” of tumors is critical for treatment decisions in the clinic because different cell types may be sensitive to different drugs.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    One person’s trash …

    Children will turn rubbish into toys during the “Trash Tales” event at the Peabody Museum on Aug. 20.

    2 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Peabody receives $150,000 grant

    The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology has been awarded a $150,000 Museums for America grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Too much variety

    More choices for Medicare beneficiaries may not always be better, according to Harvard Medical School research.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Hidden Spaces: The tiny cemetery

    Hidden Spaces is part of a series about lesser-known spaces at Harvard. The little cemetery, hidden at the far end of the 265-acre Arboretum, holds several headstones and a crypt and was once part of the Walter Street “Berrying” Ground.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Mapping out Harry Potter’s world

    The Harvard Museum of Natural History celebrates the world of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter in a gallery scavenger hunt that has proven to be a popular and educational experience.

    2 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Intuitive eating seminar open for enrollment

    Harvard University Health Services’ Intuitive Eating Seminar is open for registration.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Electrical conductor sparks interest

    Harvard and Stanford chemists have created and purified an organic semiconductor with excellent electrical properties, simultaneously confirming a screening process being used to find new photovoltaic materials.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Harvard College student awarded Pearson Prize

    Harvard College’s Niharika Jain is one of 70 students from around the country who have been awarded the Pearson Prize for Higher Education.

    1 minute